in the parking lots of these endless nights

TWO MORE FUCKING DAYS! I'M GOING CRAZY WAITING FOR SATURDAY! I never dreamed I'd see them in Singapore, much less in the same day.

Beach House - Silver Soul
Their brand of hazy dreampop already imprinted in us as their signature, they deliver it with the usual panache. Pouring their entire soul into this one, the syncopated keyboards dovetailing nicely with Legrand's ethereal vocals.

Lotus Plaza - A Threaded Needle
With a persistent rhythm and tinkly sounds, how can I not be hooked into the song? The rhythm subsequently forms the backing of the song, over and above the barely heard vocals. Elegiac in a rough way, the entire song feels hazy amidst a microcosm of intimate sounds, and it runs out amidst a dishevelled blast of intense repetitive sounds.

Deerhunter - Agoraphobia
A thoroughly enjoyable listen; comforting and warm. A slow tender piece that takes delight in its measured pace, preferring to let the music speak for itself.

Deerhunter - Desire Lines
Accompanied by a fat reverby guitar line, Cox reminisces about the nostalgia of youth, awash in careless freedom. And just when you thought what could get better than the first 2 minutes of awesomeness, a good 4 minutes of instrumental takes over. It's ponderous yet urgent, slowly seeping into your consciousness. Going on and on, you're sinking deeper and deeper, only for you to be jostled out as it gradually ends.

i've known never known what's good for me

Kele - Everything You Wanted
Seems like a love song through and through. Might refer to a break up he had, which he channeled the feelings into this very personal solo debut album of his, "The Boxer". Also, I think his solo album draws a lot of similar comparisons to "Intimacy" with its electronic elements and maybe lyrics wise as well.

Bloc Party - This Modern Love
Never really did listen to the stuff from "Silent Alarm", not sure why. It's never too late but I'm appreciating it. Kele's vocals sound much rawer here, unpolished, which suits this song to a T. The lyrics reflect something many of us can prolly relate to. And for all acoustic lovers, take a gander at this awesome up close and personal performance by Kele and Russell outside what I think is a pub.

Bloc Party - Biko

Bloc Party - So Here We Are
So tender; the soft rock + jangly guitar just gets at the odd nooks inside your body so wonderfully. I definitely must give "Silent Alarm" the proper many over.

you've gotta try to wear a smile no matter how hard it can be to do

A new playlist to whet some music appetite, especially whoever still bothers to read.


here

i've heard voices through the floor

It's been so long.

I miss writing.
I miss expressing how much I love a song.
I miss catching up on all the awesome music.
I miss the thumping beats.
I miss the hazy synths.
I miss the melodious pop hooks.
I miss the freedom of not going to school.

Here's a playlist I cooked up couple weeks back, when I was getting the feeling and well, I just had to do it. Check it out here!

i tell you miserable things after you are asleep

In the wild land around the farm, there is constant change, yet it feels timeless. The beeches and hemlocks along the creek look the same. The ship-rock that always seems to be sinking in the middle pasture hasn’t sunk an inch in all this time. This is a rabbit year, but these look like the identical rabbits I saw a few years ago.

None of this is true in the garden. You can plant for shape, color, scent, whatever you like. But unless you confine yourself completely to annuals, you’re cultivating your consciousness of time. Every garden leaves the traces of its origin in the gardener, which means that it’s hard to look at even the maturest beds and borders without remembering the digging and planting and waiting it took to bring them to this point.

- Garden Time by Verlyn Klinkenborg


Ra Ra Riot - Boy
Ra Ra Riot having laid low for a little, except for Wes Miles who was active with Rostam Batmanglij as Discovery, are back with a new offering simply titled "The Orchard". Apparently the tracks have been out for a little more than a couple of weeks. A real nippy number, it's perky and Wes Miles' vocals drip with earnestness and longing. The hooks are definitely present but their signature strings are pretty much non existent here. Obviously, these guys are back and ready to roll.

Ra Ra Riot - Too Dramatic
You know what they say about the apple not falling too far from it's tree. Well, it's analogous to some extent. It's real rambunctious pop, with lovely interplay between their strings and drums/guitar. It segues real neatly as he croons about over-dramatic girlfriends that is beyond his comprehension.

Yeasayer - Madder Red
Yeasayer are up with their usual unusual stuff. The tribal melodies that permeate is part of the overall package that is an experimental yet folk-ish sound balanced with some slightly vague lyricism. The might seem pretentious and thought of as trying too hard initially, but I actually warmed up to the song after 2 listens. If you strip away the heavy sounds, the song might actually appeal to even more, but this is Yeasayer for you. Here's the official video. But it is really queer and disturbing (in a non gory/grisly manner). Check it out if you want, but it's highly likely to put one off.

The National - Conversation 16
I'm not exactly sure why I'm only posting this song now. Somehow, their new album "High Violet" didn't register with me. I don't know why. But the odd listens here and there, and suddenly I'm taking to most of this album, particularly Conversation 16. I think it's understated brilliance. Introspective and mellow; sombre yet glorious, the drums fill out the very little space left by Matt Berninger's deep and curiously affecting baritone. It resonates within you, and singing about zombies, be it metaphorical or literal, makes you wonder what is going through his mind. It could be an epiphany, but whatever it is, this is utter satisfaction.

playing in the park until the sun goes down

Recently, I was at Ritual Cafe in San Francisco’s Mission District downing quad lattes with my old friend Angus. At one point, he noticed an acquaintance who entered the cafe. Within three seconds of him standing up to greet her, I had pulled out my iPhone and was hitting refresh on my incoming tweets and email. I had nothing important to check. The entire encounter took fewer than two minutes. When the woman looked over to introduce herself, there I was with my sweaty hands gripped around my phone. I suddenly realized, I’ve become that guy.

Of course, I’m not the only one. Everyone alone at a table at Ritual was either typing on a laptop or thumbing a smart phone. When I see a guy alone at a cafe without a device open, I assume that he’s either got the iPhone antenna problem or that he’s a serial killer.

- Dave Pell, Tweetagewasteland


Broken Bells - October
Set to an amorphous world of 3D, this trippy journey into the unknown was realised by Flash developer Richard Lehmann and illustrator Matthew Hollister. The group’s 3-D project allows surfers to navigate, save and share a strange universe of mathematical equations, geometric shapes and evocative illustrations. (wired.com)

In a similar vein to their first single, The High Road, October is atmospheric as it is affecting. The content of the 3D journey is befuddling, what with all the random stuff, but overall, it contributes to the trippiness of this song. The two precocious talents in music making straddle the fine line between insanity and brilliance to produce mellow trip rock. A fine track this is.

Mystery Jets - Dreaming of Another World
From their latest offering "Serotonin", they introduce some pop sensibilities to their rockin' and rollin' stuff that is totally feel good. It's true when I say a smile would break across your face in no time once you start listening to the song.

it's never quite as it seems

Passion Pit - Dreams (The Cranberries Cover)
A lovely cover by Passion Pit in my opinion. Bringing their trademark synths into play, a spacey and ethereal rendition of the delicate original. Check out the original here.

Trentemøller - Sycamore Feeling
As per the video description, "Sycamore Feeling is a beautifully melancholic downtempo song with haunting vocals courtesy of singer Marie Fisker. Fiskers sensual, intoxicating performance, framed by a lush instrumentation with lots of ambience, make this another great Trentemøller-track." (sic)

Frightened Rabbit - Not Miserable
Quaint ole Scottish indie rock.

Fanfarlo - Comets
Like a streak of comet across the midnight sky, it blazes a trail with it's fantastic orchestral arrangements and slowly disappears into oblivion, but not before impressing itself upon onlookers.

i would rather be wrong than live in the shadows of your song

Arcade Fire - We Used To Wait
Arcade Fire are releasing their third album in August. Entitled "The Suburbs", one might think it staid and prosaic, however, it's anything but. Take We Used To Wait for instance. Petulant and urgent, the song opens with a piano led intro that progresses into a similar anthemic style Arcade Fire are known for. Win Butler's vocals shine through in particular, as he intones about how they used to have to wait for letters from their loved ones and is liberal with his falsetto. Just as how the song starts, the song ends similarly in a staccato of piano played keys.

Arcade Fire - Ready To Start
In a similar vein, there's a rush of pounding drums and clanging guitars as he goes on about grappling with fame. Finely treading the line between pensiveness and all out ranting, Arcade Fire deal a good dose of smashing indie rock that is telling of how good this album could be.

all the time, we get by, trying to figure our lives

Allez Allez - Weird Science
Apocalyptic sounds that signal the end of time kick this rah-rah song off. It melds woozy synths that undulate like nobody's business. Quirky and fun, this song is one to slow bop to.

Broken Social Scene - Texico Bitches
The lyrics are ridiculously funny, what with "i wanna be fair like a wannabe fag" and "texico bitches the air you breathe is real". So catchy and so awesome, that's the least one can expect from BSS.

Broken Social Scene - Sweetest Kill
Beautiful elegant slow song with vocals that soar beyond all heights. Emotive with a wonder of an arrangement, underneath it all, is an earnestness that makes it a tender song that moves hearts and souls.

memory tells me that these times are worth working for

Whenever people agree with me I always feel I must be wrong.

- Oscar Wilde


Violens - Already Over
Psychedelic pop running riot.

Super Desserts - Ibiza
Kooky mid-western charm.

Stars - Fixed
The bliss of synth.

Local Natives - Camera Talk
Pure infectious hooks.

we're bound to wait all night

I was sitting across from the rotating sign
For the Liberty Brass Turning Company

Automatic Screw Machine Products


And brooding about our fathers
Always on the make to make more money

Screw Machine Products Automatic


Tender wounded brassy unsystematic
Free American men obsessing about margins

Machine Products Automatic Screw


Selling every day of their God-damned lives
To some Liberty Brass Turning Company

Products Automatic Screw Machine


Until they were screwed into boxes
And planted in plots paid and unpaid

Automatic Screw Machine Products


- LIBERTY BRASS by Edward Hirsch




Menew - Don't Give Up On Us Now
I've got to give much props to the music supervisor, a certain Alexandra Patsavas, of Chuck. She makes the most awesome song choices, totally apt for the situation, emotions, amplifying everything that the scene is trying to portray many times over. Take this song for instance, it cues at the instance when Chuck is tossed into the van after getting caught. He was utterly distraught at seeing his dad being shot by Shaw and everything seems bleak for Team Bartowski, as he says "There's no one left to save us." A glimmer of hope beckons as Devon asks Ellie if she's ready to do this (to save Team Bartowski), to which she firmly agrees. It's very apt in that while Chuck has all but given up, a glimmer of hope came from Ellie, Devon and Morgan, who haven't given up on saving them.

Miike Snow - Billie Holiday
Here's some Miike Snow who seem incapable of doing anything wrong in their eponymous album. Said track was supposedly exclusively available only on the CD release in Japan. It's got Miike Snow stamped all over it, the electro-reverbs with groovy synths coupled with really poppy hooks.

Broken Bells - The High Road
Broken Bells is a collab between Danger Mouse of Gnarls Barkley fame and James Mercer of The Shins. Beautiful soulful indie rock song, marrying obscure(?) lyrics about drugs with a touch of electronica to produce a charming song that speaks volumes about the prodigious talent these two have.

School of Seven Bells - Babelonia
Definitely a different direction as compared to Alpinisms. While still featuring the hushed lustre of the twins' vocals, it feels more textured and less dreamy, the expansive soundscape serves as a wonderful medium for their vocals to express themselves.

now look back see how far you've come

Oh dear god, I just fucked up something so serious as my university admissions. Ok more music to calm my nerves.


With a sound partly inspired by New York avant garde noise maker Glenn Branca, West African Highlife Band guitars and Talking Heads funk, Foals are a fresh blast across the indie rock landscape. But success could take the Oxford band away from the house party scene that bred them, a prospect Yannis views as a mixed blessing.

“There’s a massive difference between gigs and house parties,” say Yannis. “At house parties we just arrive and play – there’s no rigmarole, there’s no barrier. They’re definitely different. I like the way you get to connect and meet people at house parties – I don’t like the idea of the hierarchy of the performer and the crowd.”

- mirror.co.uk


Foals - Miami
An extremely interesting and disconcerting video by Dave Ma, whatwith bodybuilders and women(are they women?) fighting, a bodybuilder and a chihuahua, set to a driving beat and hip-hop-ish funk. The bouncing reminds me of Herbie, if anyone actually ever watched that movie.

Foals - This Orient
Dave Ma has worked closely with Foals on their new album, producing the videos for Miami, This Orient and Spanish Sahara. The artistic direction is very apparent and suits the songs to a T. Kudos to him. Also of note is that he worked with Delphic on their songs This Momentary and Halcyon. On to the song, with a looped melody, this seems like a rock ballad to me which belies the springy intro that goes on to form the underlying rhythm for the song. Not sure if the lyrics "that gives me this western feeling" is meant as a direct contrast to the title.


I wanted lyrics that were more direct in their meaning or if they weren't, they would be more easily capable of instilling meaning and you know, more disciplined lyric writing, cause I think before, I was easy on myself in terms of... it was more of a treasure hunt.

There are themes like heroism, ancestry, the future, heartbreak, drugs and Mike Tyson.

- Yannis Philippakis on "Total Life Forever" via nme.com


Foals - Spanish Sahara
I've reserved the best for the last, and once you hear the song and see the video, it is understandably so. The haunting vocals and enchanting melody imbues this desolation in you, aptly portrayed by the lone man trudging across the vast whiteness, like a white sahara. The subtle 8 bit synths which intensify to a fury in the later half of the song reflects the progression of the song, from quiet and intensely sparse to rock-ish riffs and overwhelming desire.


Brilliant stuff by Foals really, awesome follow up to "Antidotes".

every house not a home but dare do i roam

It's a pretty fine day, and for me a fine day is where the weather isn't sweltering, hot and humid. A layer of stickiness and ickiness all over isn't my idea of fine. So anyhow, I'm just sitting here now wondering how come I never did mention Band of Horses' first single for "Cease to Begin". And where from comes the impetus, but an episode of Fringe?

Band of Horses - Is There A Ghost
It's an awfully lovely song, melancholic and melodramatic all at once. And just how do they do it with two simple lines "I could sleep when I lived alone/Is there a ghost in my house?" - beats me. Nevertheless, I love the eerily random yet curiously funny video where it's an almost literal explanation of the lyrics, and the video slowly evolves to quite the hilarious ending, but amidst all, the female protagonist provides the best of turns.

Band of Horses - Blue Beard
Good ol' slow rock. Grand orchestration with such meaningful lyrics, it makes me feel warm and secretly good on the inside. Ben singing as the song chugs along slowly, allows the lyrics to sink in and come alive in your mind. The white snow outside the house, a blanket of soft whiteness. Neon glow of the bar sign hanging lazily on the outside.

Band of Horses - Neighbor
I've got this attachment to their new songs for some reason. It's like on first listen, you feel as if you've heard the song a million times, and it's buried deep inside your head. Or maybe it's the strong imagery their lyrics evoke. I really love it.

we will triumph again

I have to apologise for the lack of posts of late, as preparations for my upcoming eurotrip have taken up most of my time. Also, moving forward, there might be no posts for the next 5-6 weeks, as I'm still unable to find a guest writer.

Caribou - Found Out
Get a feel of his organic-sounding music, as he seeks to expand his boundaries. "I got excited by the idea of making dance music that's liquid in the way it flows back and forth, the sounds slosh around in pitch, timbre, pan...dance music that sounds like it's made out of water rather than made out of metallic stuff like most dance music does," Snaith said in a press release. Found Out evokes this sort of sloshy feeling - part psychedelic, part liquid - like a kaleidoscope of lights from the surface of the sea, seen from high up above.

Bear In Heaven - You Do You
A tight mix of indie rock plus electronica that defines this song. The song feels endless, spacious, such that it makes it seem like you're but a small speck amongst this sonic vista. A little intrigue, a little of pulsing synths, a little of many things; you feel distant, maybe right in the world of the Watchmen.

City Breathing - Rain and Revolution
It's inevitable that they draw comparisons to 65daysofstatic or Explosions in the Sky, but whatever the name drops, their brand of slow-rock is mellow and dramatic, making full use of subtle reverbs that echo into space, one feels that their band name is a little apt, the heartbeat of the city like such.

City Breathing - A Place to Bury Old Mistakes (mp3)
Beautiful instrumentation that tugs your heart.

funny how in spite of all my woes life can appear rosy and clear

Twin Sister - Nectarine (mp3)
The sweet sound of old. Tight crisp plucking of the guitar, so sanguine and peaceful. Comfort music that warms my heart.

Twin Sister - I Want A House (mp3)
Laidback pop has never sounded so good! The drawl of the drums with the lackadaisical voice singing about painting the house any colour. A song that oozes loads of charm, and the lovely interlude of comforting guitars and tight high hats - what's not to like really?

The Morning Benders - Promises
Good ole indie rock from the band consisting of Julian Harmon, Tim Or, Jonathan Chu, and Christopher Chu. Chris Chu and Chris Taylor from Grizzly Bear co-produced this album in 11 days. Wonderful huh.

Of Montreal - Lysergic Bliss
Felt a little reminiscent and randomly clicked on older stuff to listen. This extremely lovely song that warms your heart as well is amazing.